McCain gives union ultimatum on drugs

WASHINGTON  Sen. John McCain gave major league baseball a choice Wednesday: come up with a comprehensive drug testing plan or Congress will act.

Associated Press

Published 12:00 am, Thursday, March 11, 2004

"Your failure to commit to addressing this issue straight on and immediately will motivate this committee to search for legislative remedies," McCain, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, told players union chief Donald Fehr.

"I dont know what they (the remedies) are. But I can tell you, and the players you represent, the status quo is not acceptable. And we will have to act in some way unless the major league players union acts in the affirmative and rapid fashion," the senator said.

McCain, R-Ariz., made the threat after Fehr refused to accept the senators challenge to agree to the more comprehensive policy found in the NFL. McCain said sports such as baseball are "aiding and abetting cheaters" with a weak testing policy.

Fehr said that he couldnt commit to any changes in the 2002 collective bargaining agreement, which called for anonymous tests last year for the first time. Five to 7 percent of those survey tests came back positive for steroids, which triggered testing with penalties this year.

McCain and other senators on the panel called the policy inadequate, noting that a player doesnt face a one-year suspension until the fifth offense. The NFL, by contrast, has a year-round random testing program for players and imposes immediate suspensions on those who test positive for banned substances.

"I believe that the program that we instituted has had some effect," Fehr said.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he didnt disagree with McCain about the need for stronger testing. He called the current program a compromise, adding that the unions resistance prevented a tougher plan.

"I realize that we have work to do," Selig said. "We need more frequent and year-round testing of players. We need immediate penalties for those caught using illegal substances."

Selig said he hopes to make the sports policy for players with minor league contracts apply to those with major league contracts: a year-round testing plan, with an immediate 15-game suspension for first violation.

McCain used NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and players union chief Gene Upshaw as an example of the kind of collaboration he wants baseball to adopt.